SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — About 12,000 fentanyl pills were seized at LAX on Wednesday morning.
Per the LA County Sheriff’s Department, the suspect tried to go through TSA screening with several bags of candy and snacks.
The pills were hidden inside Skittles, Sweetarts, and Whoppers packaging. The suspect tried to get away but was later detained by law enforcement.
“12,000 pills…somebody can make a lot of money with that and cultivate a huge customer base,” said Scott Silverman, a crisis coach and addiction expert at Confidential Recovery here in San Diego.
Silverman says it’s part of an alarming trend: fentanyl that either looks like candy or hidden inside popular candy wrappers.
“There’s an inference there that it’s ok and that’s the scary part,” he said.
Silverman and officials are urging families to sit down with their kids to discuss the dangerous drug and its many forms.
“Ask your child what are you hearing? What are you seeing on social media?” said Silverman. "We have to really teach our children that when you’re at a party or an environment and something comes in front of you that looks like a pill…you don’t put it in your body. You just don’t put it in your body period.
According to the DEA, a lethal dose of fentanyl is only about 2mg for most individuals (seen here in comparison with a penny).
The Sheriff’s Department added that as an extra precaution parents should be checking their kids candy throughout the Halloween season and report anything suspicious to law enforcement.
